Getting into the Spirit of the season

I was happy to have a short work week due to Thanksgiving last week,  Monday after work, we headed downtown for our walk.  Not only is this the best time of year to walk downtown due to all of the decorations and the holiday music playing throughout the area, it is also great because it is well-lit which is a bonus when the sun sets so early.

The tree is my favorite part of our walks downtown right now.  I love all of the lights and it just makes me smile every time I see it.  We'll spend a lot of nights walking there over the next month.

On Wednesday, I took the afternoon off from work so I could head out to the Animal Shelter.  It was a beautiful 50 degree day, and I wanted to make sure the dogs that would be left at the shelter over the holiday weekend got out for an adventure. 

I was able to get Chester, Desmond, Beaufort, and Old Timer each out for a Sniffari around Mason.  They each got a walk, a car ride, and visits to some local businesses.  Leslie had a special visitor who gave her a great afternoon too.

And after our adventures, all of the dogs got a pup cup from Biggby as a special treat before I left.  It was an awesome afternoon volunteering and the perfect way to kick off my Thanksgiving weekend. 

When I got home from volunteering, I loaded the girls into the car to run some errands.   I also wanted to make sure they got some fun, so we visited Pet Supplies Plus and Soldan's before taking a quick walk.  

I'd say Mina was happy with our adventures because she happily snuggled up with me for the night after dinner.  She's become quite the snuggler.  Between her and Peaches, my lap is rarely empty.

Since I had plans for an early Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, we headed out the door for a morning adventure before I had to leave.  While we weren't part of the official Turkey Trot, we did head downtown and we did our own shortened version of the Trot. 

It was a beautiful morning and we were all happy to be out enjoying it.  With all of the people that had been downtown due to the Turkey Trot, there were lots of things for the girls to sniff.  They had the best time!

We enjoyed a peaceful and quiet Friday morning snuggling.  The girls also spent some quality time outside enjoying the weather.  But the most exciting part of our Friday morning was my trip with Peaches to pick out our Christmas tree.  She wasn't as excited about the tree as I was.

 

Friday afternoon we had plans for a visit to see Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona since we hadn't gotten to see them on Thanksgiving.  Peaches was ready for the trip.

It was wonderful getting to spend the afternoon with Fiona.  She is growing so quickly!!  I had so much fun playing with her and watching her crawl around and explore.  She seems to learn so much between my visits!

I was also happy to see my grandpup.  Picasso was happy to have a new person to play with him.  He's such a good boy!

 

After our visit, we headed to Hines Park for our first drive thru Holiday light display of the year.  I always enjoy Holiday light displays and with the warmer weather,  I was able to roll down the windows so that the girls could stick their heads out of the windows and take in all of the smells. I think Mina really enjoyed her first fun Holiday event.

This event is well run, only $5, and has a pretty decent display of lights.  It was a good way to start our Christmas Holiday fun.

Before heading home, I picked up some dinner at Del Taco.  I was a happy girl and it had been a great day!

Saturday morning, the girls and I headed out for a nice walk and a little geocaching.   We parked at Maguire parked and headed down the River Trail toward Hawk Island Park.  

It was another beautiful late November day and the girls thoroughly enjoyed sniffing and exploring.   

After our walk, we made a couple of quick stops before heading home to watch the big Michigan/Ohio State football game.

It was a pretty exciting game, although Mina wasn't impressed.   She napped through most of the game, except when I woke her up with my cheering!

I got the lights on the tree Saturday and finished up the decorating on our lazy Sunday.  So far I'm pleased that Mina has been doing well with the tree...I sure didn't know what to expect. 

The weather has remained mild the last couple of days, but that is about to change.  I'm hoping a change in the weather will bring about a little more Holiday spirit.   The girls and I will also be getting out for some more Holiday fun over the next several weeks and I am looking forward to sharing it all with you.  I love this time of year!

These people definitely have the Holiday spirit!

Cold and snow arrive in Mid-Michigan

I was excited to have a long weekend last week and to start my work week with two days off.  After a long hike on Saturday, we were happy to spend Sunday closer to home.  A chilly hike and some geocaching at Fenner was the perfect adventure to start our Sunday.  It was a sunny, beautiful day, even though it was cold.  The girls were exceptionally well behaved for our walk and thoroughly enjoyed their walk through the woods.  

We came home after our walk and the girls napped while I watched the Lions game.  It was a quiet day.

Monday morning was spent running errands.  I had a list of thing I needed to get done and wanted to get them all done so I could have a quiet Tuesday at home.  Monday afternoon, I was busy finishing yardwork, mowing the lawn one final time for the year, and doing several other chores around the house.  Of course, the girls and I took advantage of the day off to get in a mid-day walk and a good game of fetch.  It was a very productive day.

While I had originally planned to just stay home on Tuesday, I decided to head out to the shelter to take one of the shelter dogs out of the shelter on a Sniffari.  After two quick errands first thing in the morning, I headed out to Mason to get Kramer out of the shelter for some fun.

We took a nice walk through town, enjoying our first snow of the year  I admire this tree with its beautiful green leaves covered in snow.

Kramer and I visited several businesses in town and he enjoyed meeting all of the new people.  After our walk through town, I headed back to the car to take Kramer for his pup cup from Biggby.  We spent nearly two hours out of the shelter together and he went happily back into his kennel for a nap.  The best news of the week was when he was adopted a couple of days later!

After my time with Kramer, I came home to take the girls out for a walk around the neighborhood.  Mina was very curious about this turkey. 

I also got a chance to talk to Nicol and got this adorable picture of little Fiona.  How is she 30 weeks old?!?!

It had been a really good day off and we all were ready to settle in for the night after dinner.  Mina and Peaches spend a lot of time competing over my lap.  Tuesday evening Mina won.

It was back to work on Wednesday, and I had to travel to Grand Rapids for part of the day.  I was pleasantly surprised when I showed up at the office where I was working and I was greeted by Bella.  She was a good little helper.  

Mina and Peaches spent the day at home while I was at work, and when I got home at 3:30, they were both ready to play.  There were several rounds of wrestling and plenty of games of chase while I continued to work.  Unfortunately for the girls, I had to leave to head out to the shelter for Wednesday night dog walking, so they were stuck at home for a couple of hours again that night.  Luckily, when I got home after dog walking, they were both happy to snuggle after a long day.

While I worked on Thursday morning, the girls happily snuggled on the bed.  With the unseasonably cold weather we were having, I have been limiting their time outside, so I was happy to see them happily napping.  

We were expecting more snow on Thursday, and I decided to get the girls out for a lunchtime walk before the snow really moved into the area.  I thought the colorful leaves in the snow were pretty.  

Not knowing what the weather would do Friday, I made sure to get the girls out for a second walk after work.  It was blustery and we didn't walk for long, but it was nice to get them out again before settling in for the night.

Despite the frigid temperatures and snow, Mina insisted on spending time outside on Friday.  She was obsessed with going out and just sitting in the snow.  There were plenty of zoomies too.

I spent a lot of time letting her in and out of the house so she could spend time out enjoying the snow.  Silly girl!

Friday night was Silver Bells in the City, the official kick-off of the holiday season in Lansing.  Despite the cold, I wanted to take the girls downtown to enjoy the festivities. So after a quick stop for some pizza at a local geocaching event, we headed downtown. 

This event is always a good time, especially for the dogs, since there are lots of people and plenty of things to smell.  It was made even better for them because of all of the snow.  Peaches couldn't keep herself from rolling in the snow, and Mina was jumping around and having the best time.  She especially enjoyed watching a snowball fight and trying to chase the snowballs as they landed nearby.

She was completely unphased by all of the people and noises from the electric light parade.  She even sat down to take it all in.

We spent most of our time on the Capitol grounds, but eventually we started walking down the street along the parade route as we walked toward the car.  

We always leave a little early to avoid all of the crowds heading back to their cars, so we were home and warming up before 8pm.  It had been a good night.

The temperatures were in the low 20s with wind chills near 10 degrees on Saturday morning.  I had to go to Mason to pick up some prescriptions from the vet, so I took the girls along.  We stopped at Patterson's and I took Mina inside to weigh her will I was there.  I can't believe she weighs over 44 pounds now!  

We stopped at the Family Farm and Home so that the girls could get out for a walk.  We walked up and down every aisle allowing the girls to sniff to their hearts content before heading outside to continue our walk.   The wind and cold got to be a bit too much, so it was back into the car to warm up a bit.  We then drove downtown to do a little shopping and to take a walk around downtown while we were there.  The sun was shining and the sky was blue, but boy oh boy was it cold!  We didn't spend a lot of time out there, but we had fun.

The girls got to use some of our fun brain games to keep them occupied Saturday afternoon, and eventually we settled in for the evening.  Once again, Mina made sure she got my lap!

Our Sunday has been uneventful.  The girls spent time outside playing chase with the neighbor dogs and with each other.  There were several rounds of wrestling, lots of games of fetch, plenty of chewing, and lots of snuggling with Peaches and Mina taking turns in my lap.  While I was able to get some cleaning done while the girls napped, I had hoped to finish the blog early and to work on the newsletter for the rescue, but any time I sat down, a dog showed up in my lap.  Luckily, this evening my lap was free so I could get the blog done.  I guess the rest of my to-do list will have to wait.

This week will be another short work week as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to it and the start of the holiday season.  It is going to be so much fun with both Fiona and Mina experiencing it all for the first time.  I hope you all enjoy a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Work, Walking, and unseasonably warm Weather

As I sit here writing, Mina is happily chewing away on one of her Benebones and Peaches has already put herself to bed for the night.  After all of the hiking we did today, I was hoping for two sleepy dogs, but I guess Mina got a second wind.  But I know we'll all sleep well tonight!  More about our Saturday fun later.

After our storms last Saturday, we had decent weather on Sunday so I spent a busy day outside doing yardwork and inside cleaning and prepping meals for me and for the dogs for the week.  The girls spent most of the day outside while I buzzed around being very productive.  Boy did I feel great about all I accomplished.  We also made sure to take a break and watch the Lions game.  Peaches napped through most of that! A Lions win against the Packers was a bonus.  It was a great day!

After a busy day of work on Monday, the girls and I had a great time outside playing about a million rounds of fetch.  They were zooming around the yard and I had balls for each of them since Peaches won't chase a ball if Mina goes after it too.  

We worked on some training to make the game of fetch more interesting and there was an occasional wrestling match or game of chase.  We all had a great time. I think Mina would play fetch all night if I let her, and she is never happy when I tell her the fun is over and it's time to settle down for the evening.  

We came in for dinner and after a little more wrestling, we were soon all settled in for the evening.  Mina really likes to snuggle on my lap every evening.

Tuesday was election day and I was scheduled to work the polls that afternoon.  Thankfully the weather was beautiful so the girls could spend plenty of time outside while I worked my normal job in the morning.  I headed out just before 1pm to vote and then start my work at the polls.  I am glad to say that the lines stayed steady most of the day.  I got out for my evening break at 6pm, and the girls were thrilled to see me.  Peaches and Mina spent 10 minutes zooming around that yard, and then we played a few rounds of fetch while I heated up my dinner.  The girls came in for their dinner, we all ate, and then after one more quick trip outside, I headed back to finish my night at the polls.  When I got home shortly before 9:30am, Peaches and Mina headed right back outside to zoon around the yard.  I stayed out with the girls for about 20 minutes while they chased each other and we played a few more rounds of fetch before heading inside for the night. It had been a long day and we headed to bed...all of us slept well for the night.

Wednesday afternoon I had to head out of town overnight for a meeting for work.  Since it was going to be a quick trip, I decided to take the girls along with me.  We arrived in Troy before sunset and I decided to use the time to get out for a nice walk.  I found a park nearby with wooded trails and some geocaches and headed out for an adventure.

It was a beautiful park for a walk and the girls really loved all of the squirrels and new things to smell.  The weather was beautiful, especially for November 9, and the park was pretty busy.  The girls were happy to meet some new people too.

We stayed until just before sunset and then headed back to the hotel for then night.  

Mina and Peaches settled into our night in the hotel pretty quickly after dinner and a couple rounds of wrestling.  Mina's pretty cute when she's sleeping!

Thursday morning during my meeting, the girls napped-Peaches happily in the room and Mina in the car since she figured out how to escape from the travel crate the night before.  After the meeting, I stayed at the hotel until my noon check out to get some work done before making the drive home.  Mina was happy to get back to the bed!

On the way home,  I stopped for a visit with Nicol and Fiona.   I can't imagine a better way to spend my lunch hour!  Fiona is crawling and standing up and was happy to show me all of her tricks. 

It was 70 degrees when I got home, so once my work day was done I headed outside to get the Christmas lights put up.  You can't beat putting up lights while barefoot and wearing shorts.  I won't turn them on until Thanksgiving, but I'm happy that they are done!

I started my Saturday walking shelter dogs with our Dog Walking Club.  Tipperary and Wentworth loved their time out of the shelter.  

After my walk at the shelter, I headed home to meet Vanessa.  We had plans to get in some road walk miles on the North Country Trail.  We headed toward the Lowell area for our day of adventure.  We parked near the Barry County/Kent County line where we were met by Tom, who helped shuttle us to our starting point.  

This section was all on paved roads, most of it on one road, so it wasn't too difficult.  We passed a couple of dairy farms, a pig farm, and a few homes with businesses-one selling cheese curds and another selling homemade bread.  We both came home with a loaf of bread.

Luckily the wind was mostly at our backs for this walk since we haven't adjusted to the 40 degree temperatures and there were some pretty areas and a couple of geocaches along the way.  Mina enjoyed her walk with Vanessa.  Peaches also enjoyed our walk...but somehow I didn't get a picture of her.

After 7 1/4 miles on the road, we were back at the car.  We were parked right next to the Maher Audubon Sanctuary, so we decided to hike the 3/4 mile loop and pick up the caches there.  The girls really loved all of the smells and I even saw a nice buck.  

We had one other small section of the NCT that we needed to complete to link sections we had previously done.  It was a nice wooded section of the trail and we did a quick out and back hike to add another 1 1/2 miles to our total for the day.  

With 8 3/4 miles on the trail today, I have completed 92.8 miles on the trail this year and Vanessa has completed 80.5 miles.  We'll complete the last 19 1/2 miles to get us both over 100 miles over the next few weeks.  We have a 10 miles stretch of the trail to complete in Hillsdale County, but when that is done, we will have hiked all of the NCT miles from the Michigan/Ohio Border all the way to Fallasburg Park North of Lowell.  Go us!

I'm excited to have an extra long weekend since I'm taking Monday and Tuesday off from work and we have no specific plans for the time off.  I'm just going to relax and go with the flow.  I'm sure I'll get some projects done around the house and get the girls out from adventures close to home.  I'm mostly looking forward to three days that I don't have anywhere specific to be!  While the weather has been unseasonably warm this week, the temperatures dropped over night and we're now looking at a string of  days that the temperatures won't get above 40 degrees and the potential of snow...I'm not looking forward to any of that!  But we'll adjust and have some more fun as we head into Winter.